Royal Fae Bodyguard (Brunswick Academy for Gifted Girls Book 1) Read online

  Cara cleared her throat and took all her will power to manage to say: “I apologize, Your Highness.”

  Dayen leaned on the high counter next to her and shook his head. “Oh, please. We’re in the terran world now. Day will do. Listen, that was fun and I’m sure we have plenty to talk about but it’s very late, you must be tired. I’ll show you to the guest room, yes?”

  She was tired. She had been tired for a couple of hours. He had kept her waiting only to embarrass her and then send her to bed. She already hated him more than Ms. Friar’s mid-terms.

  “Alright.” Cara sat up straight and took another sip of coffee. “Let me ask you some questions. Do you have any enemies who might wish you harm?”

  Nina had served Cara the best breakfast she’d ever had. It was a seafood omelet and she’d been tempted to ask for seconds. She’d scarfed it up quickly, sitting across the pristine glass dining room table from Day who watched her eat while smirking the entire time. His attitude grated but the food was so good she almost didn’t care.

  Now, they were drinking coffee and Prince Dayen was leaning on his hand, looking bored, as if talking to Cara was a huge chore.

  “Enemies?” Prince Dayen tapped his chin. “Well...the woman in our castle who does my laundry sometimes gives me the stink eye and sometimes my clothes are quite stiff. Which is strange since they’re done by means of charms-”

  Cara couldn’t contain the long-suffering sigh she expelled and it only seemed to make Prince Dayen giddier. “This is a serious question,” she said, gritting her teeth.

  She was trying her best to remain professional, but he sure didn’t make it easy.

  “Enemies,” she said firmly. “Has anyone gone after you or your family before?”

  She knew his parents had been killed and couldn’t remember how. Having taken place in the fae realm, Brunswick had not had any detailed information on the matter. She saw Dayen’s expression darken for a moment and then he shook his head.

  “No one who’s around now,” he muttered.

  “If there’s something you should tell me-”

  “It would be impossible,” Dayen said quickly. “And I don’t wish to discuss it. But more importantly, is it true you’re going to pick up a fated mate on this mission?”

  Somehow in the course of conversation, Dayen had switched from authoritative to mischievous in just a few words. It was enough to give Cara whiplash and also how did he know that?

  “Um…”

  “It’s me, isn’t it?” Dayen said. Except he was joking and clearly thought the very idea was hilarious. Of course he does, Cara thought. Sure, they were both fae. But Dayen was a prince. He’d been groomed his entire life to take up the mantle of rule over the entire realm. He’d had his every need looked after and more than that, he enjoyed just the same luxuries in the terran world that he did in the fae realm. Who was Cara? A graduate of the most prestigious supernatural academy in the world to be sure.

  But he was a royal. She knew all about royals. To him, she was just a little peasant from the countryside who had stumbled into some achievement among the humans.

  He was still smirking, but Cara was sure she was turning red with aggravation.

  “I wouldn’t take you as a mate in a million years,” she responded, practically hissing.

  “Hmm.” His gaze flickered over her. If she didn’t know better, she might think his feelings were hurt. “That’s too bad. You seem like ever so much fun.” He said while checking his phone. “Woop. We should be getting to the realm now. Lots of princely sorts of duties to take care of. Come along, Cara.”

  It was like he was calling his dog.

  She stewed and wished again that she could punch him, but he was already getting to his feet and looking at her expectantly.

  “I assume you can teleport between realms?” He said imperiously.

  If he only knew.

  “Yeah, I think I can handle it,” she grumbled, shouldering the backpack she’d been toting around.

  “Very well,” he said simply. “But we should hold hands.”

  He was right. It was easy to get separated between dimensions. She huffed but begrudgingly took his hand in hers. He had elegant fingers, she noted. Of course, he did. He never worked.

  She let her eyes slip shut and ignored the sensation of his hand which was graceful, yes, but also held hers with a firm grip that bespoke strength.

  Soft but strong.

  “Fae realm or bust,” Dayen said, and in seconds they had vanished from the penthouse.

  4

  Dayen

  Dayen felt first the satisfying clasp of Cara’s hand in his (and wasn’t that a little shocking?) and then the almost nauseating lurch of two different dimensions and then infinite dimensions seeming to tear him apart as he traveled through the fabric between worlds. It was always like that with teleportation, whether interdimensional or only within the terran world. Yet he felt a kind of grounded presence assuaging that sickening feeling he always got when he traveled between realms. He always felt like he was going to vomit right after teleporting. So much so that he had already been dreading Cara seeing it and mocking him for it. Though he was pretty sure he could cover it well. It wasn’t uncommon for fae to get neauseated when they hopped between the dimensions yet it seemed like a weakness. But it was already fading now as he and Cara arrived in the fae realm in the exact location he had targeted; the cathedral-like foyer of his family’s castle in the countryside of Keene.

  It was Cara, he thought, as he got his bearings. Somehow she’d stabilized him. He’d never felt anything like it and he wondered if it had been intentional. She certainly wasn’t acknowledging it as she straightened her jacket and gazed around the giant front hall with its massive and ornate tapestries hanging from the shimmering stone walls and the lush carpets under their feet. The place was brightly lit by huge glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, all with pink flamed candles.

  He frowned at her, wondering if there was some secret strength within her. Perhaps she was more capable than she seemed. She certainly hadn’t impressed him so far outside of being rather cute when she was indignant and he was resolved to see how often he could make her indignant as long as he had to suffer through however long this silly mission of hers would last.

  He was not lost on the fact that she had graduated from Brunswick. In fact, it was hampering his ability to remain unimpressed. Only the most talented supernatural creatures and witches were accepted into Brunswick. He couldn’t quite square that. He wondered if she’d known somebody and slithered her way in.

  Why don’t I like her?

  He squinted at her as she gazed about the room. No, he couldn’t say he didn’t like her exactly. Only that she was...vexing somehow. And she hadn’t proved herself. She’d been so annoyed at him with his little joke. He wondered if she was completely humorless.

  You’d have to be to graduate from Brunswick, wouldn’t you?

  She also didn’t seem impressed by him and he wasn’t used to that. Truly vexing, yes.

  “Well?” Cara raised her eyebrows at him like he was holding her up.

  Oh, I’m so sorry, is the PRINCE OF THE FAE REALM wasting your valuable time?

  The thought was so loud in his head he was surprised she couldn’t hear it.

  The thing was, he was usually the one being a little bit modest and humble about his position. He wasn’t exactly eager to take over in his inevitable role as the king. He was already pushing his luck far past what was traditional by holding off beyond his twenty-third birthday. He should have taken over from his uncle once he’d turned twenty-one. But his uncle had placated him when he’d pleaded for just a little more time to live as an almost regular person (a regular person who was both fae and a prince but much closer to a regular person than a king). He’d pleaded for time to “learn” except that he wasn’t much for being taught either.

  But usually people were practically falling to their knees and promising their devotion or groveling
, and it was easy to be humble in the face of that unless you were a complete monster. He wasn’t used to somebody already being so over him. Especially when that somebody was fae themselves. Did she have no loyalty to her realm at all?

  He cleared his throat and said, “This way.” He walked at a fast clip, inwardly stewing just a little bit at her tone and the glib expression on her face. She was cute, sure. But that only made it worse really. Her and her pretty light blue eyes...except that now as he looked at her they were pinkish.

  He stopped in the middle of the arched corridor as passing servants knelt and muttered the appropriate epithets toward their prince. “What color are your eyes?” He smirked as he said it. He didn’t want her to imagine he cared except that he was now fairly certain that her eye color had changed a few times since he’d met her.

  “They’re prismatic,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

  “Ha!” He laughed at that. “I’ve heard of that but I’ve never met a fae who actually had it. I thought that gene died out long ago. So they change color often?”

  “Yeah, it really depends on the light and my mood,” she said. “But not always. Sometimes they don’t change it all. It’s kind of random.”

  “Fascinating,” he said.

  Well, she was unique. But he valiantly attempted to remain unimpressed. It wasn’t as if she could control something like the gene for prismatic eyes after all.

  “Where exactly are we going?” Cara asked, striding quickly to keep up with him. He had a good six inches on her. He smirked to himself, watching her practically jog to keep up as he made a sharp turn around a corner and down another corridor, servants bowing when they saw him before they scattered away again.

  “I’m showing you to your room, what do you think?” he said. He could have had a servant do it. He’d actually intended to but he’d become distracted by Cara’s “prismatic eyes”.

  They hurried up the sweeping spiral stone staircase with its moving steps that brought them up to the third floor where Dayen was now actively frustrated that he hadn’t palmed Cara off on somebody else. Too late for that now. He’d just look foolish.

  When Brunswick had contacted his uncle and let him know about the mission, the vision that said Dayen needed protection, his uncle had taken it all deadly seriously. After what had happened to Dayen’s parents, he wasn’t surprised, even if he was agitated about the whole thing. But his uncle had immediately made one of the more luxurious guest rooms available for Dayen’s new protector. He’d made sure it was close to Dayen’s own spacious quarters.

  In fact, they had adjoining doors.

  “For safety,” his uncle had said.

  Perhaps this whole thing would be good for a laugh at least.

  “Here we are,” Dayen said, stopping in front of her door. He threw it open and led her in. It wasn’t as nice as his own rooms. In fact, as much as he liked to downplay himself as a royal and hang out in the kitchens playing cards with servant girls, if he’d been given this room, he’d have more than a few complaints. The shimmering lavender curtains were far out of date and the carpet wasn’t very lush. The bed sat near the windows which meant in the morning even when the curtains were drawn, there was an assaultive amount of sunlight. It didn’t even have its own kitchen area beyond a sink. The closet was far too small and the decorative elements were...lacking.

  Cara walked into the room and her eyes grew wide. “Holy shit, I’m staying in here?”

  Dayne squinted at her. Her irritated and impatient demeanor had entirely vanished. Now she just stared up at him, looking like he might have tricked her somehow.

  “Are you serious?” she asked. “In here?”

  “Yes?” He raised an eyebrow. “The room could be nicer but we were somewhat limited on time and location. It adjoins my quarters, you see. He strode ahead and showed her the door opposite the bed and near her private bathroom. Between two tall bookcases there was a narrow door and he opened it, gesturing through to his private recreation room that preceded his bedroom. His own quarters consisted of four rooms of his own, whereas she had just one.

  But the way she was acting, it was as if she’d never seen such a luxurious room in her life.

  Perhaps she hadn’t? Country fae had a rustic quality about them. They were just a bit rough and most warrior fae came from the country. Although he had never met one who had gone to Brunswick. He had assumed she was from one of the metropolises far beyond Keene, from some well-to-do fae family with plenty of gold. Had he been mistaken?

  “I also left you some clothes,” he said. “Or rather, my uncle had some clothes brought for you. They probably won’t fit precisely, so just ask your maid to bring in a tailor. We only had a rough idea of your size…”

  Cara stared at him blankly. “A tailor. My own tailor…?”

  “Yes…”

  She burst out laughing and Dayen raised his eyebrows, confused.

  “Okay, sure a tailor,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I think I’ll just wear my own clothes, thanks.”

  Dayen looked her up and down. For terran clothes, her outfit was flattering, he supposed. He rather liked terran fashion himself but he was used to designer labels and couture. Cara was wearing a very worn-looking pair of old tight-fitting jeans and a blank shirt with a black leather jacket. Her boots had a hole in the toe. She looked as if she’d been wearing the same outfit for years.

  “You can’t just wear your own clothes,” Dayen said, scoffing. “Not to dinner anyhow or any other events I know you’ll have to go to if your mission is to protect me. My uncle’s not going to allow you to show up at a formal dinner at court in…” He wrinkled his nose at her jeans. “That.”

  Cara narrowed her eyes. “We’ll just see about that,” she said.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about how she hadn’t curtsied or called him “Your Highness” or followed any of those protocols really. In the terran world, he preferred it that way. Most of the time in the fae realm he would also have preferred it. It was just that he was used to it and it felt strange for a fae to be treating him like...a regular person.

  Who is this girl?

  “We will,” he said simply. “Pull the cord for a maid if you have any questions. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “See you.” She tossed him a little wave and he frowned before turning to make his way out.

  He’d felt so confident and sure of himself (as he usually did) before they’d arrived in the fae world. Now he was back on his heels.

  He put it down to the distracting sensation of her hand in his.

  He didn’t like that thought at all.

  Dayen left Cara to settle into her room and once out of her presence, he couldn’t even remember why he’d been so riled up. He made himself busy answering letters from the court. Every five seconds it seemed, somebody was writing to ask after him. Everyone wanted him to visit or bless their house or to bless their farm. As a prince of the fae, his mere presence had a kind of power to it. He could bring good luck to a place just by stopping by, which meant nearly everyone wanted him to go somewhere.

  It was incredibly annoying.

  On the other hand, as much as Dayen liked to pretend he didn’t care, he liked to make his people happy. It was one of the many reasons he didn’t enjoy thinking about his inevitable duty to rule. There was simply no way to rule, to go into battle and make life-and-death decisions for all his subjects and keep them all happy. It was impossible. He didn’t like to think about that. But he tried not to betray those thoughts to anyone. Instead, he put on a smirk and avoided rule and played the careless prince.

  He answered the entire heaping pile of letters and scrolls, and even with an enchanted feather pen that was supposed to do half the work for him, it was exhausting. He also found himself agreeing to visit the majority of the cottages and farms and castles and manors that requested a visit and found himself very grumpy about it when he was done.

  He was clearly too soft-hearted.

  Dayen got so distr
acted by his work that it took a servant knocking on his door for him to come down to dinner. He waved the servant away and changed into an appropriate suit as quickly as he could. He was a little rumpled, his ornate robes with their glittering embroidery thrown on in haste. He combed his long, white-blonde locks quickly and smoothed them down around his shoulders. His pale gray-blue eyes shimmered and sparkled like he had never seen before when he looked in the mirror. He couldn’t account for that. What should make his eyes shimmer like that?

  He was thinking about it as he made his way to the banquet hall, striding along gracefully in his silver boots.

  “What have you been doing?” His uncle asked, catching up with him as he was about to head into the hall. “Who have you been talking to?” Cade was smiling. In fact, he seldom looked so good-humored.

  “Nobody,” he muttered, shrugging like some terran. “Only that Brunswick girl. She’s infuriating by the way.”

  “You do know that long ago faes’ eyes would shimmer and sparkle when they met their fated mate?” Cade said. Dayen’s apparently sparkling eyes grew large at that and Cade threw an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t you remember the stories? It still happens nowadays but it’s rare. Still, you’re very old-world fae. The purest and closest to the ancient demons. It makes sense you might still have some of those attributes. So this girl?”

  “She is not my mate,” Dayen said quickly. “She’s very stubborn and boring. She has no sense of humor. She just kept asking me questions about how to protect me and-”

  “That’s why she’s here,” Cade said dryly. “She’s doing her job. She’s also meant to find one of those elemental totems and save the entire universe, so I’d be kinder if I were you.”